Ogilvie Construction has officially begun site operations on BT Group’s brand new multi-million pound contact centre in Dundee as Kate Forbes, Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Economy, and Rob Shuter, CEO of BT Enterprise, participated in the ground-breaking ceremony.
The new office, which will be home to around 1,000 colleagues forms part of Dundee’s £1bn regeneration area, and will be located at West Marketgait, in the heart of the city centre, close to the waterfront.
The building is expected to be completed in 2024 and will be one of BT Group’s 30 locations in the UK, developed as part of its ‘Better Workplace Programme’ – the largest workplace improvement and consolidation scheme of its type ever undertaken in the UK. The group is also undertaking a multi-million pound refurbishment of its flagship Glasgow office, situated on the Clydeside.
The investment will help transform the way BT Group works, create efficiencies and enable it to better serve its customers in Scotland and across the UK. The company’s current office in Dundee, which is based on Ward Road and is home to around 1,000 colleagues, first opened in 1976. BT Group employs more than 7,000 colleagues across Scotland, ensuring homes, businesses, schools, GPs and hospitals, from Shetland to Stranraer, stay connected wherever they are and whatever the weather.
Teams based in Dundee include those providing customer service support to consumer and small business customers. BT Group has recruited hundreds of people in Dundee in the past four years.
Kate Forbes, Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Economy, said: “It was great to visit BT’s new ‘Better Workplaces’ site, which represents another key milestone in Dundee’s £1 billion economic regeneration.
“Our recently published National Strategy for Economic Transformation contains bold and ambitious actions - within the powers currently available to us - to deliver economic prosperity for all Scotland’s people and places.
“The state-of-the-art facility will provide nearly 1,000 quality jobs that will support individuals, communities and businesses to be better connected, whilst benefitting from technological innovation. This latest investment reinforces Dundee’s standing as a centre of technological excellence with a highly skilled workforce.”
Rob Shuter, CEO of BT Enterprise, said: “BT is one of the largest employers in the Tayside area and we’re excited to be able to continue investing in the area, and across Scotland. It’s a positive time of regeneration in Dundee and we’re thrilled to be part of that story by building our new state-of-the-art office which will become home to nearly 1,000 of our colleagues, securing vital jobs within the economy.
“Right now, our key industries are on the cusp of a technological revolution as Scotland prepares to make the switch from analogue to digital ways of working. Only businesses which make the leap will succeed and stay competitive - our role is to help them navigate that journey and our new Charter reflects the priorities that our business and public customers expect to see from BT. Our teams based at our Scottish offices, including Dundee, will be key to Scotland’s economic success.”
BT Group plays an important role in the Scottish economy and is responsible for generating £1 in every £115 produced in the country, according to an independent report. It also generated £1.2 billion to the economy of Scotland in “Gross Value Added” GVA, during the 2019/20 financial year.* BT Group supports more than 12,400 jobs across the nation.
The new building will include what its designers have described as a ‘street landscape,’ with areas for colleagues to socialise while enjoying great views over Dundee and the River Tay. Being developed by Crucible Developments and built by Ogilvie Construction with the help of its young apprentices.
The team behind the design and build of the Great Tapestry of Scotland visitor centre in Galashiels is celebrating another accolade after winning the RICS Scotland Award for best public building.
The building, designed by Page\Park Architect and built by Ogilvie Construction, consists of gallery spaces, a visitor centre, café, workshop area and offices. The front of the neighbouring B listed post office was refurbished to accommodate staff and studio space.
Colin Smith MRICS, chair of the judging panel, said: “These winning projects are a true testament to the hard work of property professionals in Scotland. The pandemic has led to the industry facing much uncertainty and challenging conditions, but we were delighted, and very proud to see such innovative building projects appearing across our cities and towns.”
Earlier this year, the building won the Design Award for New Build (Commercial) in the Scottish Borders Design Awards. The visitor centre has also received the highest 5-star rating for visitor experience by Visit Scotland, which reflects an ‘exceptional customer experience.’
The Great Tapestry of Scotland is a unique project to stitch the entire story of Scotland from pre-history to modern times and through its artistry and visual storytelling, making Scotland’s history, heritage and culture accessible to all.
The Wellheads homes are designed to have a high level of energy efficiency throughout and low maintenance external amenity spaces as well as support more walking, cycling and wheeling through Active Travel. The site includes a playground, plenty of green outdoor space, and cycle storage. These homes are heated by Aberdeen Heat and Power combined heat and power plant which utilises waste heat from the production of electricity to heat the homes.
The 283 flats at Wellheads in Dyce were built in four phases and are a mixture of 1 to 8 person flats for varying needs.
Spokesperson Councillor Sandra Macdonald said: “It is fantastic that all 283 Aberdeen City Council housing council flats at Wellheads are now finished and we hope that residents will really enjoy living in their new homes.
“These new homes will not only be great places to live in but have been designed to help meet the greatest demand for properties for families, single people, and housing for varying needs.
Donald MacDonald, Managing Director, Ogilvie Construction, said: “We are proud to have built a high-quality mix of new homes that incorporate innovative energy efficient design and use of space for modern living. We worked closely with all parties in the project team to overcome the challenges thrown up by the pandemic and to deliver first class buildings using sustainable materials.”
The vision of the Aberdeen City Council’s Housing Programme is to create sustainable integrated communities and places by delivering affordable homes designed for life which meet residents’ current and changing needs, while supporting the wellbeing and resilience of tenants.
They will meet the most demand for council properties including flats for single people, flats for families, terraced houses, wheelchair-friendly properties, and a small number of amenity bungalows. They are being designed for exacting standards including housing for various needs, dementia friendly, low carbon, low maintenance, and to meet the Gold Standard.
Ogilvie Construction is part of the Ogilvie Group and one of Scotland’s most consistently successful family-owned businesses. The company is over 65 years old and employs more than 600 people across its various business operations in the UK.
Ogilvie Construction has opened a new office in Aberdeen as part of a programme of investment to continue to grow its business in the Northeast of Scotland.
Operations Manager, David Mason and Commercial Manager, Ryan Green, will be based in the new office in the Westhill area of the city.
Donald MacDonald, Managing Director, Ogilvie Construction, said:
“We are delighted to be making this investment in the Northeast where we continue to deliver a range of significant projects for our public and private sector clients. It is important to have a strong local presence in the region to support our plans for continued growth. Our clients appreciate the team’s focus on quality and value backed by exemplary professionalism and a first class service.”
In recent years the company has completed a range of significant projects in the region, including two Vardy car dealerships, new housing developments as well as two student accommodation facilities and Brimmond School. At the start of March 2022 283 homes at Wellheads were handed over to Aberdeen City Council, a further 92 homes are in construction at Auchmills and the business has recently broken ground on a £23m housing development in North Anderson Drive for Sanctuary Scotland.
Ogilvie Construction is part of the Ogilvie Group and one of Scotland’s most consistently successful family-owned businesses. The company is over 65 years old and employs more than 600 people across its various business operations in the UK.
Ogilvie Construction is now a proud sponsor of Dyce Juniors Football Club after agreeing a deal for a minimum of two-years.
Brian McGuiness, Senior Project Manager at Ogilvie, visited the club to present the new kit.
The initiative is part of Ogilvie’s community benefits programme, which focuses on providing lasting positive impacts to the areas surrounding live construction sites, the company HQ in Stirling and across Scotland. Ogilvie is currently building 283 new social homes at Wellheads and 92 at Auchmills for Aberdeen City Council, both of which are in close proximity to the Dyce training ground.
The company sponsors a range of sports and community initiatives around the country, including teams such as Falkirk RFC, who Ogilvie have been supporting for decades.
Brian McGuiness said, “We are delighted to sponsor Dyce Juniors FC and are committed to supporting the local communities in the areas that we serve. We look forward to an excellent partnership with the management and will be rooting for their success on the park.”
The team behind the design and build of the Great Tapestry of Scotland visitor centre in Galashiels is celebrating after the building was won the Design Award for New Build (Commercial) in the Scottish Borders Design Awards.
The building, designed by Page\Park Architect and built by Ogilvie Construction, consists of gallery spaces, a visitor centre, café, workshop area and offices. The front of the neighbouring B listed post office was refurbished to accommodate staff and studio space.
Commenting on the visitor centre, the judges said: “This is a flagship building set in a highly sustainable location, which makes a strong contribution to revitalising the Galashiels High Street. The integration of the old post office is a very positive move which has helped save this important listed building and reduced the embodied energy of the project.”
The award comes hot on the heels of the visitor centre being awarded the highest quality assurance rating of 5-stars by Visit Scotland.
The Great Tapestry of Scotland is a unique project to stitch the entire story of Scotland from pre-history to modern times and through its artistry and visual storytelling, making Scotland’s history, heritage and culture accessible to all.
Ogilvie Construction has started building 118 new affordable homes on the site of the former Aberdeen fire station on North Anderson Drive for Sanctuary and Aberdeen City Council.
The £23 million project will provide a mix of apartments and houses, comprising one, two and three bedroom homes when it is completed in 2024.
Councillor Sandra Macdonald, Aberdeen City Council housing spokesperson, said: “It is fantastic to see that construction has started for a new affordable housing development at the former site of Aberdeen fire station. We are committed to providing more high-quality affordable housing to local residents and are pleased to be supporting this development.”
Donald MacDonald, Managing Director, Ogilvie Construction, added: “We are proud to have been chosen to build this significant affordable housing development in Aberdeen. Our team will engage with the local community throughout the construction programme to keep them advised of progress and minimise disruption in the area.
The following Ogilvie management team were delighted to attend the event with local Councillors and Sanctuary Scotland staff; Donald MacDonald – Managing Director, David Mason – Operations Manager, Brian McGuiness – Senior Project Manager, Bernard McLaughlan – Project Manager and Ryan Green – Commercial Manager
Ogilvie Construction is part of the Ogilvie Group and one of Scotland’s most consistently successful family-owned businesses. The company is over 65 years old and employs more than 600 people across its various business operations in the UK.
The team at Ogilvie Construction are celebrating a unique double as two of the company’s projects have been shortlisted in the finals of the Scottish Property Awards.
The new Yotel in Glasgow, designed by Mosaic Architecture and Design, is shortlisted in the Regeneration Project of the Year. The project saw the transformation of the Westergate building in the city into a 256-room hotel equipped with YOTEL’s signature design and technology driven hospitality offering.
The new first phase of the Borders Innovation Park, designed by Michael Laird Architects, is shortlisted for the Architectural Excellence Award. The facility creates 15,000 square metres of high-quality office space in the area of Tweedbank.
Donald Macdonald, Managing Director, Ogilvie Construction, said:
“We are proud to have been part of the team that brought these fantastic projects to successful completion. They are first class buildings that significantly enhance their surrounding communities, providing important new services that benefit the local economies.”
The Scottish Property Awards aims to recognise the best new and commercial buildings in Scotland. The winners will be announced at a celebratory awards dinner on the 30th of March.
Ogilvie Construction has boosted its estimating team with the appointment of Philip Scott.
Philip brings over 15 years of sub-contracting and estimating experience to the business with over 5 years’ main contracting experience on both commercial and social housing projects.
Donald MacDonald, Managing Director, Ogilvie Construction, said:
“We’re delighted to welcome Philip to the estimating team as we enjoy steady growth across the business. He will make a strong contribution to the ongoing success of the business as we continue to deliver exceptional quality and service to our clients.”
Ogilvie Construction is part of the Ogilvie Group and one of Scotland’s most consistently successful family-owned businesses. The company is over 65 years old and employs more than 600 people across its various business operations in the UK.
Ogilvie Construction has handed over the first building in the new Borders Innovation Park, completing phase one of the build programme.
The new facility creates 15,000 square metres of high-quality office space with a car park to the rear and landscaping that ties into the station plaza.
The Borders Innovation Park offices provide the first step in the development of the strategically important Tweedbank Masterplan and is an important destination for new businesses, driving economic growth.
Donald MacDonald, Managing Director, Ogilvie Construction, said:
“We are delighted to have completed this project, creating a high-quality building that provides modern office space for new businesses in the area. The construction team worked closely with Scottish Borders Council throughout the build programme successfully managing all of the challenges created by the Covid-19 pandemic”
The Borders Innovation Park is funded by Scottish Borders Council, Scottish Enterprise and the Borders Railway Blueprint programme, as well as £15 million investment secured from the Edinburgh and South East Region City Deal.
Ogilvie Construction is part of the Ogilvie Group and one of Scotland’s most consistently successful family owned businesses. The company is over 65 years old and employs more than 600 people across its various business operations in the UK.